HU Tobacco - Makhuwa (Foundation by musico)

[wilhelmjoharsanyi]

A top notch blend: Robust, flavorful, grassy and deeply satisfying at all times. My 100 g tin won’t last another week, as I have been smoking this thing non-stop while watching the television show: “The Terror”: An excellent, 19th century show about the Royal Navy trapped in the Arctic, threatened by an unseen, cosmic horror that seeks to engulf them all (think Master and Commander meets Lovecraftian Horror). And yes, the Captain and officers (The guys that play Caesar and Brutus in Rome) all smoke Churchwarden pipes throughout, which proves you can still enjoy a good pipe despite existential dread and impending doom.
Makhuwa is one of those blends, when you smoke deeply and inhale just a little bit; it hits you straight between the eyes: making you sink slowly into your chair, becoming a little light-headed, and making you pause for a few moments without a single care in the world. What I just described there, is my definition of a world-class, superior tobacco blend (or just one with a lot of nicotine). If a blend doesn’t alter your state of being and mood a bit, then it is not a blend worth smoking. It is the perfect blend for reflection, meditation, reading a good book, or escaping impending death from sinister Eldritch monsters from the icy north.
I am not a fan of toppings and flavoring, but it is so light that I hardly noticed it. It is not a particularity sweet and reminds me a lot like Cornell and Diehl’s “Kajun Kake”, which is one of my favorite blends. It has a deep, rich taste with slight fruit, chocolate, and grassy overtones. The Perique adds some spice, but it is really the Burley that takes center stage. I always drink this with black coffee and it is the perfect combination. Not an all day smoke, more like a morning and afternoon smoke, since I usually smoke it first thing in the morning with coffee and one after my lunch break, usually followed by a 'Nightcap' type blend before bed. Burns fairly hot, so smoke it with a thicker bowl and longer pipe to avoid overheating. Has a decent room note, not particularly pleasant but certainly not disagreeable.
After Kajun Kake and Makhuwa, I realized I cannot smoke VaPer’s anymore without a heavy dose of Burley mixed into it, since it really makes the difference when it comes to depth and overall taste. I’m adding this to my all-time favorites, and just ordered 300 g more of this blend. Makhuwa is my favorite HU-Tobacco to date, even more so than Director’s Cut and Old Fredder. I would definitely recommend picking some up, but wait until I order some more first, since I don’t want it selling out anytime soon.
Similar Blends: Cornell and Diehl- Kajun Kake.

 

[sablebrush52]

Very nice review!
I love Makhuwa, so it's great to see it getting some attention here, instead of the usual suspects. When one gets the moisture right, it's like sipping a most delicious chocolate malted, a combination of the Malawi and the cocoa topping, along with the other components. I haven't found it to be exceptionally grassy, which to me is a good thing. It has a little bit of a nic hit, though not unpleasantly so.

 

[wilhelmjoharsanyi]

I noticed the grassiness almost immediately, but I do agree, the more I smoked the less evident it became. Either way, a really great blend and everything I have tried so far from HU has been excellent.

 

[elpfeife]

I have a couple of tins sitting idly in my cellar. I don't know why I haven't tried it yet, although I am a bit of a nicotine wimp! Guess I'll man up and give it a try.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Got some on order. The shop owner in Germany let my order sit for over 2 weeks because it was over the 2 lb. Limit. It's a good thing I like the other HU blends I've tried or I'd never reward this guys poor service by giving him more business.

 

[wilhelmjoharsanyi]

I always received great service, arrives in a timely manner and usually gives me free samples. Although I do live 2 countries over. International customs are ridiculous, I never order from the USA anymore due to the delays and added taxes.

 

[thomasw]

Great review! I am not terribly experienced in smoking aromatics, but Makhuwa is the aromatic that I like best and I do think it is because of the depth given it by the Malawi burley. I love the subtle taste of cocoa that Malawi burley naturally lend to blends. HU's blends use it magnificently as does Solani's ABF and Silver Flake and GLP's Stonehenge Flake.

 

[mackeson]

Sounds great. Another one for my to try list. Thanks for the review

 

[artificialme]

Interesting review. Hope someday I'll get this makhuwa. It's so hard to buy pipe tobacco here in Indonesia

 

[wilhelmjoharsanyi]

Makhuwa is considered an aromatic? There is a slight topping on it, but I never considered to be an aromatic.

 

[thomasw]

I hear the echoes of an eternal question. What is and is not aromatic? Strictly an aromatic is a blend where the topping/casing adds a flavour that is not manifest naturally by the constituent tobaccos in the blend. By this account, blends like Stonehaven or Royal Yacht are aromatics. Makhuwa would be too, but like those other blends it is not like certain blends we in North America commonly experience as aromatic (it is not wet and goopy and doesn't introduce flavours which are not part of the flavour profile of the constituent tobaccos in the blend). So I don't know if it matters whether a tobacco is or is not aromatic, but rather how well the added toppings play to enhance or muffle the natural flavours of the tobaccos. Examples could be multiplied of the blends that do both. The point is don't feel put off a blend if it is an aromatic; know why you like it.

 

[sablebrush52]

I don't consider Makhuwa an aromatic since the bit of topping doesn't sublimate the component tobaccos. Almost all blends have a casing and some sort of topping. If that constitutes an aro, then pretty much everything is an aro, Definitely Stonehaven, Capstan, F&T Cut Virginia Plug, Modern Virginia, in fact, all of the Esoterica line up are aros, pretty much everything made by Gawith and Hoggarth, Samuel Gawith, L&K, PLanta, for sure Germain's and McClelland for good measure. They're all aros, everything they make.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have always heard on here that it was whether it was a casing, which is applied early in the processing, or a topping, applied after the tobacco was processed. This is why we get cavendishes like PS LTF that taste very aromatic, but are not labelled as such, because the flavors were applied very early in the process. And, we get University Flake, which are labelled as aromatics, because the topping that compliments natural tobacco flavorings were added last before packaging. Thusly, we as consumers cannot rely 100% on these labels. And, this is why I think Smokingpipes has been changing the labeling for these on their website. Modern Virginia was actually labeled as an aromatic when it was first released, but SP has changed it.

So, there seems to be industry standards of categorization, and then the retailers seem to be changing it up to make the labels fit the stereotyping that we think f when choosing tobaccos. Honestly, I just wish pipesmokers would stop think of all aromatics as goopy Lane or Sutliff products. There really are many quality aromatics out there. Not all of them are made to attract women and children into the hobby. ::

 

[cosmicfolklore]

But, besides all of that, this stuff sounds like my dream smoke. I certainly want to give this one a whirl. But, I have tried to navigate that German website, and I just ended up screaming at my laptop and smacking it off a table. ::

Maybe one day smoking pipes will start to sell it.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Cosmic, I'll bring you a sample when I'm next in Birmingham. Or if you're impatient to try it, PM me your address and I'll send you some to try.
My definition of an aromatic is if the caging or topping petty much dominates the flavor of the smoke and hides the tobacco flavors. If the caging or topping is light, complimentary and the tobacco flavors clearly dominate, is not. First one provides no interest for me. If I like the second one, I'm okay with it. 2 good examples of the latter are SG Navy Flake and Sam's Flake. I'm sure there are numerous others I can't even tell but like them. That's okay too.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I can wait. Not that I wouldn't mind getting it sooner, but sometimes good company makes something taste even better. Thanks!!

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I can wait. Not that I wouldn't mind getting it sooner, but sometimes good company makes something taste even better. Thanks!!

Kewl, I'll try to find a friend to bring so you'll have good company. LOL Or, you can just put up with me for an hour or two.